Vermilion school board awards $3.11 million renovations contract for high school, middle school

VERMILION — Renovations at Vermilion High School and Sailorway Middle School will have a price lower than school officials expected.
Vermilion school board members voted March 10 to award a renovation contract worth almost $3.11 million to RFC Contracting Inc., the same company building the new Vermilion elementary school. The engineer’s estimate for the job was $4.5 million for the base bid, which did not include a dozen alternates that were expected to add to the final price.
Board members Shelly Innes, David Rice, Chris Habermehl and Grant Harding were unanimous approving the contract, which included a base bid and nine alternates to add items to the project. Construction could start as early as spring break during this school year, with most of the work to be finished during the summer break.
“It now affords us the opportunity to do even more with the construction or the rehabilitation of our current facilities,” said district Treasurer Ryan Lockwood. When the district gets more benefit for the dollar, it will benefit the students in the district and those who will come to the district, he added.
RFC Contracting currently is building Vermilion’s new middle school, so the contractor will have to obtain supplies and may have to hire subcontractors to begin work as soon as possible, Lockwood said. The work is not expected to disturb teachers and students during their lessons in school, he said.
“Everthing’s coming in well below what we initially estimated,” Lockwood said, which allows the school board to add to its “wish list” of extra items to enhance the school facility.
The base bid is $2,758,000 and alternates include:
• $22,000 for a vocal classroom conversion
• $122,000 for motorized bleachers at the high school
• $52,000 for motorized bleachers at the middle school
• $7,500 for kitchen wall alterations
• $15,000 for a middle school cafeteria braising pan
• $80,000 for alterations for the high school heating, ventilation and air conditioning
• $25,000 for a high school science lab general exhaust
• $20,000 for middle school heating zone valves
• $4,000 for high school selected repainting